


Knight at Dawn

by Sephirron



Series: Tales of Chivalry [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Black Eagles route, F/F, White Clouds, aka let ingrid have wlw supports, edelgrid, how to not be a traditional knight 101, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:34:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26225749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sephirron/pseuds/Sephirron
Summary: Ingrid has been bound by the nobility and crest system her entire life - her true desire to be a knight would never come to fruition in such a world where her choices weren’t her own. She comes to Garreg Mach under the guise of finding a suitor to please her father. Instead she meets the revered imperial princess, Edelgard, who for the first time in her life, lets Ingrid choose her own path.aka. all the Ingrid and Edelgard interactions I wanted through White Clouds. Dorothea is the best wingwoman.
Relationships: Ingrid Brandl Galatea & Edelgard von Hresvelg, Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Edelgard von Hresvelg
Series: Tales of Chivalry [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904752
Comments: 21
Kudos: 132





	Knight at Dawn

Ingrid knew from the day she was born that it was her fate to carry her family’s future. In this world, crests were the law. Crests were the key to a future of wealth, prosperity, happiness, and in its path, a legacy. At first she was proud to shoulder the burden, it felt akin to honor. She would do anything to bring a smile to her father’s face. 

But a life such as hers wasn’t given many choices, if any at all. 

Glenn, her valiant knight to be, wasn’t a choice. But she didn’t mind it at first. She admired him, loved him. He always stood proudly and was always picking fights to test his mettle. As troublesome as it could be at times, she knew the heart he had. Faerghus was cold year round, but when she stood beside him, with her friends at her side, she couldn’t have felt any warmer. 

When she lost him, that wasn’t a choice. 

The kingdom was in flames and she would never forget his face twisted with regret as he lay there in the sea of hellfire. She could never fathom the words to the way her chest collapsed on itself as she let out a scream, unheard by the dead surrounding her. She looked at her hands in the blur of her tears, quivering uncontrollably, clenching at the ash that caked her palms.

Her crest did nothing to save him. Crests didn’t save Felix from losing his brother. Crests didn’t save Dimitri from being spattered in the blood of his own family. 

Crests didn’t allow her to choose. 

When the tears finally stopped falling, months beyond the tragedy, she made her own choice then. She would become a knight. When she had told her father she wished to enroll at Garreg Mach’s Officers Academy, he took the idea with surprising enthusiasm.

“Well that sounds wonderful, Ingrid!”

“I am so glad you agree, Father.”

“How could I not? There will be many opportunities to find yourself a good husband there. What a fine suggestion - we’ll begin the process immediately.”

Ingrid’s face fell - so he really hadn’t listened to her after all. 

When the year came to arrive at Garreg Mach, she almost felt relieved. It was a new place, a clear air. The path ahead seemed almost unlimited with possibilities. It excited her and the first thing she did after she settled in was sprint to the training grounds. Other members of the Blue Lions had already started but she wasn’t about to let that deter her. She made a beeline for the weapons rack and brandished a finely crafted wooden lance. She twirled its weight in her finger tips, smiling at how it fit her palm. 

She made her way out to an open patch of grass and shed her academy jacket, leaving her in a sleeveless top and her trousers tucked into her boots. With an invisible enemy she danced, her lance an extension of her arm, whirling around her like a raging storm, thrusting through its torrent winds like lightning striking the earth. She could feel the grass twist beneath her heel as she spun and swept through an arc of a low kick. 

Even though she could feel the weight of stares on her, she paid them no mind. This was peace for her. A moment she savored her freedom to work towards her own dreams. After a few repetitions of her carefully crafted exercise, she finished with a spearhead move through the imaginary heart of her enemy. 

She wiped the sweat of her brow beneath the afternoon sun, stabbing the lance into the ground to lean on. She looked around the courtyard then, observing students idly chatting and training at their own speed. On the wind she saw a flash of white and red and she peered over to the group beside her class.

“I’ve got you now, Edelgard! Haaah!”

Ingrid watched with wide eyes as a ginger headed boy charged at a snow-haired girl with his lance raised. Ingrid winced, as the girl responded with her own axe, using the flat of the wooden blade to deflect his piercing strike. It knocked the boy off balance and she took the chance to jab sharply with the pommel into his side, fully winding him, falling to the grass with a thud and a groan. Ingrid blinked rapidly, undoubtedly impressed at how quickly she disarmed him.

“Urgh, next time Edelgard. I’ll win, this was a minor setback,” the boy grumbled, standing up and rubbing his side.

“As you say, Ferdinand,” she waved off, shouldering her axe with an unamused look. 

_Edelgard, huh…_ Ingrid thought.

Edelgard’s lilac eyes had drifted over the courtyard and locked with Ingrid’s viridian ones. Catching Ingrid with her wide-eyed stare, Edelgard only tilted her head in question. Ingrid panicked internally, clearing her throat. She spotted the red cape donned on Edelgard’s shoulder, draping on her uniform like silk. Ingrid’s brain short circuited realizing just who Edelgard was. 

If her attendant leering at her from the dark shadows wasn’t any indication - now she just felt embarrassed for her incredible lack of vigilance. 

_Oh Goddess, it’s the imperial princess._

She could feel the heat on her cheeks growing warmer, having nothing to do with physical exertion. 

Ingrid put a hand over her chest and bowed quickly in Edelgard’s direction, turning around swiftly to retrieve her jacket and put her lance back in its rack, without looking directly at Edelgard again. 

If she had she would’ve seen the now amused smile that graced the princess’s lips.

* * *

  
  
In Faerghus, blades were seen as a tool to cut a path to their future. They would hold a blade long before they held a quill to write their own name. She still wondered why these principles of the Kingdom didn’t fall to her, why she couldn’t cut her own path away from the world of crests, marriage, romance without passion, and duty without pride. She didn’t want a husband, she didn’t want another pompous suitor. She wanted to be a knight - to live and die tied to a higher purpose. 

She knew the answer - she was far too loyal to sacrifice her family’s future in such a way. But she couldn’t help but crave her own dreams. 

Ingrid received letters often from her father during her time at Garreg Mach. While she loved him so, she always dreaded them. It always started with the pleasantries, the fate of Galatea territory (never good), and if she had been meeting anyone. It made her heart heavy, a deep seated sigh passing through her lips. The letter would be torn to shreds, drifting to the floor and she’d turn on her heel for the training ground once again. 

From the courtyard, she would see Edelgard pass by speaking discreetly in the shadows with her attendant. The air around her was as if she was manipulating gravity itself, forcing those around her to stand at attention. Ingrid knew from the whispers that others thought that Edelgard was distant and even arrogant. But Ingrid saw something else. Edelgard walked as if the path ahead of her was something she carved on her own and something she would never stray from. 

In many ways they were the same, Ingrid shouldered the weight of her family’s territory and Edelgard would eventually shoulder the weight of the Empire. She wondered just for a moment, if she would serve a leader such as her - vigilant, strong, and full of conviction. 

“You’ve been staring at her a lot, y’know,” a voice comes from beside her. She turned to look at her friend, with a sly glittering smile. She wanted to deck him. 

“I have not, Sylvain,” she denied while rolling her eyes.

“I mean I don’t blame you. You have fine tastes, my friend,” Sylvain chuckled, smoothing back his hair from the sweat of another spar with Felix no doubt.

“We haven’t even spoken to each other once, it would be rude to simply stare at her, unlike you with your skirt chasing.”

“I stare respectfully, you know.”

“As you say, Sylvain,” she scoffed.

Weeks passed at Garreg Mach without incident and the famed Professor had settled into her role quickly. She heard of the professor’s reputation, the savior of the three house leaders on a training exercise gone wrong. She was a mercenary, daughter of the legendary Blade Breaker.

At the mock battle, she witnessed that first hand. 

The Professor’s eye for strategy was unlike any other she had seen, directing the fray to play right into her hands while also keeping herself ready for counterattack. Her guard never faltered nor did her blade. She swiftly disarmed anyone who approached, no hint of emotion on her face. The Black Eagle house was getting closer to the corner of the field they occupied and Ingrid gripped her lance, tense. She spotted Edelgard coming out from the bushes as Bernadetta let an arrow loose near where she stood.

Ingrid maneuvered forward to dodge but right into Edelgard’s space. Edelgard had a smirk on her face, which Ingrid knew from countless spars with the Blue Lions that it was a sign of a challenge. An axe held her at a disadvantage with her lance.

Imperial princess or not, she would fight on her honor.

Edelgard came at her with a sweeping overhead strike to which Ingrid responded with a parry of her lance, causing the axe blade to slide along her hilt as she twisted to Edelgard’s side and aimed a spinning swing of her own. Edelgard raised the pommel of the axe to block it in the nick of time and swung in another arc.

To put it lightly, fighting against Edelgard was intense and Ingrid had been sparring with Felix and Dimitri her whole life. If Edelgard carried power just as she walked by, she was a pure force of nature with an axe in her hands. The weight of the axe didn’t deter her strikes, she didn’t waver them from their path even once. She was in total control. 

They traded blows, wood splintering from the force behind their strikes. If anything, it felt like a dance that they had practiced together forever. In this moment, Ingrid felt free and light as if her pegasus had taken her on a flight above the sky of Garreg Mach. It was refreshing to spar with another woman with clear ideals and the determination to back it.

At some point in their battle, Ingrid was so intensely focused on her opponent in front her she didn’t see the Professor encroaching on her position. Her class members were too slow to react as Byleth had her on her back after Ingrid responded with a sloppy block and was rewarded with a sweeping kick. Her back hit the grassy field and she coughed at wind being knocked out of her. She could see the expanse of the sky and sighed - she lost. 

Ingrid rose onto her elbows and she realized she had been the only one left on the field and Edelgard and Byleth were standing above her, satisfied at the call of victory to the Black Eagle House. Edelgard’s gloved hand reached out and Ingrid took it gratefully as she rose up to stand once again. 

She withdrew her hand quickly and cleared her throat, putting the lance across her shoulders and holding it in place on the back of her neck. She bowed before Edelgard.

“Thank you, Your Highness. That was an intense fight. You surely aren’t one to be reckoned with,” Ingrid complimented, deciding the shakiness in her voice was from battle.

“There’s no need for formalities, Ingrid. Here, I’m simply a classmate,” Edelgard assured. 

Thinking of Edelgard as _simple_ in any regard didn’t feel right to her.

Edelgard shouldered her axe, combing her gloved fingers through her hair, and spoke again, “You were admirable as well, I’ve seen you on the training grounds. You fight better than most knights I’ve ever witnessed.”

Ingrid cursed inwardly because she knew there was a blush on her face right now with nowhere to hide beneath the bright sun. 

“I appreciate your kindness, Your High- uh, I mean-- Edelgard,” she fumbled, then took a deep breath to avoid embarrassing herself any further. “It is my dream to become a knight.”

“Is that so?” Edelgard responded, noncommittally. She turned to her silent professor then. “Then maybe you would consider having her join our class? Surely learning from the Professor whose father was Captain of the Knights of Seiros could benefit that dream of yours, Ingrid. ”

Ingrid balked. That is not what she had been expecting. Her, join the Black Eagle House? Learn from the daughter of Jeralt, the Blade Breaker? It was an incredible offer, one she would jump at usually - any chance to improve her skills and prowess she would normally not hesitate. 

But to leave her class behind felt like a betrayal as well. Making this choice meant embracing knighthood and leaving her father’s wishes behind. She was avoiding severing those ties to stray from the turmoil that would surely fall after. 

The professor brushed her jaw with her fingertips, contemplating Edelgard’s suggestion. She nodded after a moment, expression unchanging. “You fought well against Edelgard. Consider joining the Black Eagle House.” And with that she turned away, making her way over to the path where the rest of the Eagles lingered. 

“She’s… forgive her. I haven’t been able to get much emotion out of her,” Edelgard apologized. “But I have learned she never says things without purpose. Please, do consider the offer.”

“I am flattered that you both think I’m skilled but I...” she drifted, pursing her lips, trying to dig for the right words.

Edelgard sensed her hesitation, sharp as ever. “It’s your choice, Ingrid. I will not force you. But we should spar again, regardless of your answer.” It was then Hubert appeared behind Edelgard, sparing Ingrid another one of his discerning glares.

“Lady Edelgard, the others are leaving, we should head back to the monastery.”

“Yes, of course,” Edelgard replied, then turned to Ingrid once again. “Your choice.”

Ingrid watched her retreating form, dumbstruck. 

_It’s your choice._

Those words rang in her ears all the way back to the monastery and back in her room. She sat on her bed, letting out a long sigh. She peered at the shredded parchment of her father’s letter scattered around on the wooden floor. 

_I will not force you._

The next morning, she walked briskly to the classroom area, the banners of their respective houses flowing with the gentle breeze. She passed the Blue Lions banner first and upon reaching the red banner, woven with the double-headed black eagle she paused. She stood outside of the doorway for what she felt like hours but could have only been minutes.

“Have you come to a decision then?” a voice said behind her. 

Ingrid whipped around, face to face with Edelgard, alone. She straightened her back, putting a hand over her heart and bowed like the day she first saw her. Edelgard had an amused smile on her face yet again but waited patiently for Ingrid’s answer.

“Yes. I wish to join the Black Eagle House, with yours and the Professor’s permission,” Ingrid spoke, voice as steady as it had ever been since she had met Edelgard. She had to show she was serious about this despite her nerves. “I will work hard, on my honor.”

Edelgard’s shoulders were shaking from silent laughter, putting a hand on her hip, regarding the knight in training. 

“Honor, huh,” Edelgard said, giving nothing away of what her thoughts contained. “The Professor will be pleased though she may not show it. I’ll introduce you to the rest of the Eagles when they arrive. But first things first, would you like to share a meal with me before class begins?”

“Uh,” she said eloquently. “Would Hubert be… adverse to the idea?”

“Oh, don’t worry about Hubert,” Edelgard replied nonchalantly. She turned on her heel and began walking towards the dining hall, leading with confidence as if she knew Ingrid would follow. “We should take this chance to eat - I have a sneaking suspicion the Professor is going to follow-up the mock battle with training exercises.”

Not worrying about Hubert seemed like yet another contradictory phrase. She flitted her eyes around the area, searching for leering eyes. She sighed in relief when she found none. 

“I’ll never say no to food,” Ingrid conceded, falling in step with Edelgard.

* * *

  
  
The Black Eagle House welcomed her with open arms and she wasn’t the only student that had been whisked away from her previous class. When she strode into the classroom after breakfast, she found a familiar form sitting at a table, the bored expression practically etched into his face by now.

“Felix,” Ingrid greeted, sitting beside him. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“The Professor has skill. I wish to see it first hand,” he grunted, folding his arms across his chest. “It’s not often you get to fight with mercenaries.”

“Dimitri and Sylvain didn’t protest?” 

“As if they could stop me.” He looked at her then, eyes sharp. “I could say the same for you.”

“The Professor and her Highness thought it fitting to join their house to fulfill my dream as a knight,” Ingrid explained, smiling at her new classmates as they passed and took their seats.

“Her Highness, huh. You’re still on about that chivalry nonsense, I see.” 

“First of all, it isn’t nonsense and second of all, yes. That will never change,” she argued, a pinch in her brow showing her frustration. Felix and her had been friends since they were kids, yet he still couldn’t see her dream in the same light.

“You’re still as foolish as you were when we were kids. Romanticizing blind obedience, how absurd.” 

This wasn’t the first time he expressed his blunt and callous opinions. She still couldn’t help but be affronted by them. 

She knew that losing Glenn affected Felix differently. They both loved him dearly in their own way but she never expected for them to be on polar opposites. She didn’t have time to dwell on his words as the Professor took her position at the head of the class. And like Edelgard had predicted, she informed them that they would be doing training exercises, focusing on their strengths and weaknesses during the mock battle

The students got up and followed the Professor’s lead to the grassy courtyard, picking their weapons off the racks and forming a circle as the Professor stood in the middle.

She went one by one with each student, asking them to reflect on the past battle and where they succeeded and where they had failed. When Byleth had come around to Ingrid, she straightened. The Professor regarded her with a blank stare and spoke in a level voice.

“Ingrid, what caused your defeat in the mock battle?”

“I lost sight of the area around me,” Ingrid admitted, eyes making brief contact with Edelgard who had been close by. She saw Edelgard’s gaze narrow in a question. She coughed lightly into her fist. “When you came and attacked me, my form was off and I blocked your strike sloppily.”

Byleth nodded. “Correct. As an officer, you will be responsible for leading your troops into battle. You must stay vigilant of their wellbeing as well as your own in order to lead them well.”

“I will work harder, Professor.”

The Professor’s expression didn’t change as she spoke further, quieter this time as if only for Ingrid to hear. “I know you want to be a knight but dying needlessly isn’t noble. It won’t save anyone.”

Ingrid felt her breath catch in her throat and her fists clenched on a reflex. It took everything within her to not glare back at the professor, to keep the anger from her eyes from boring into the professor’s empty ones. 

Millions of thoughts raced through her mind. The professor was a mercenary and for her to talk about loyalty nearly insulted her. The fact that her face remained blank as turmoil swirled in her chest made her want to scream. It was her dream, why couldn’t anyone understand that?

She swallowed, regardless. “Understood, Professor.”

“For your training today, you will pair up with Ferdinand on horseback first. You’re new to the class and I would like to observe your technique further.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Ingrid stalked out of the courtyard towards the stables, not noticing the concerned eyes following her stride. Upon reaching her destination, she took a calming breath as she reached her pegasus. She looked at her fondly, stroking her snout gently and touching her forehead to her neck.

“Hello, Astra. Are you ready to train?” she whispered to her. 

Astra snorted, stomping her hoof on the ground twice, puffing her chest with pride with a soft neigh. Ingrid chuckled and took the reins, feeling a bit better, and leading her out of the stable. She escorted the pegasus outside, back to the group of students. A lot of them marveled at her stature and Ingrid hauled herself up onto the saddle, stroking her white mane and pulling on the reins to direct Astra to the far end of the courtyard.

“Here, Ingrid.”

Ingrid looked up from her seat and saw Edelgard smiling at her gently, holding a training lance in her glove. Ingrid took the lance gratefully and twirled it amongst her fingertips, giving it a few test swings on her other side.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Now what have I said about that formality talk?” Edelgard said, raising an eyebrow.

Ingrid smiled, a bit embarrassed now. “Forgive me, Edelgard. But thank you for bringing this to me.”

“I’ll forgive you as long as you win against him,” Edelgard conceded, looking towards Ferdinand across the way, readying himself and his steed. 

“Don’t worry, Astra and I have been through a lot together. We’ll fly circles around him.”

“Confidence suits you, Ingrid,” Edelgard chuckled. The laughter twinkled like gentle wind chimes, somehow soothing her horrid mood from earlier. 

“A-Ah, thank you,” Ingrid replied, a light blush on her pale cheeks.

It made no sense to her really. She knew she was skilled with a lance and bladework in general and she had been caring for horses since she was a small child. She knew she was talented enough and yet coming from Edelgard, it sent her mind into a whirl that somehow made her calm all the same. Suddenly feeling very warm she went for the buttons on her jacket, unfastening it and eventually shedding her coat, lean muscle being revealed under the sun. She folded it neatly and offered it to Edelgard. “If I can trouble you with a favor, could you hold onto this for me? It’s a bit warm today.”

Edelgard paused and blinked for a moment at the offer. Ingrid was on the verge of apologizing for imposing such a task. Perhaps she had forgotten her place, maybe she was getting too comfortable, or-

“Of course,” Edelgard finally agreed, taking her jacket gingerly in her hands. “Good luck out there.”

Ingrid took a deep breath and focused on her opponent ahead. Astra trotted forward, standing at the ready and Ingrid then pulled the reins upwards, her wings starting to flap at the command. She drifted above the ground by a few feet, ready for battle. 

Ferdinand readied his lance in response. 

Byleth rose her hand up and everyone watched with anticipation. Her hand came down with a sharp, “Begin!”

Ferdinand wasted no time in charging forward first and Ingrid wasn’t about to back down from his display of confidence. She had observed him in battle before, he was skilled, but against Edelgard he was no match. But she was never one to run blindly into battle. It was far more of a tactical dance than that.

They clashed in the middle, dodging each other’s barrage of strikes and colliding at blade and stock. He wasn’t nearly as ferocious as Dimitri’s lance work but she was still calculating, evaluating his attacks. Fighting with Astra always puts her in her element, her lifelong friend knowing all of her tiny signs and reading through all of Ingrid’s expectations. 

It made her feel free.

At the same time, the turmoil that clouded her mind had returned as she snuck a look at the observers. Byleth had been watching quietly. She was a noble, she had a duty, there wasn’t any way Byleth could possibly understand. Nearby, stood Edelgard as well, still holding her jacket and watching with her usual analytical stare but something else as well. Whatever it was, it made her focus on the battle even more so. 

Ferdinand came at her with another attack. She looked for the level of his strike and as he thrust forward, she yanked the reins causing Astra to swoop up into a graceful arc. Ingrid halted her full circle, hovering above Ferdinand, feeling the heat of the sun at her back. From below, the light was nearly blinding, creating an ethereal halo around Ingrid’s form and Astra’s majestic wings.

She could see her opponent trying to cover his eyes from the brightness of the sun and took her chance. Leaning forward, Astra flew into a nosedive, twirling into a harpoon strike. Unable to predict the landing of her lance, Ferdinand missed his parry and was hit square in the chest with the blunt of the weapon. It would definitely leave a decent sized bruise.

“Ferdinand, out.” 

On the call, Ingrid let Astra settle gently back onto the grass, wiping the sweat from her brow. Her smile was satisfied and bright beneath the sunlight as she stroked Astra’s mane.

“Nicely done, Astra,” she praised, Astra looking triumphant herself with her head held high. Ingrid chuckled, she would owe her more treats for that performance. She slipped off the saddle and patted the side of Astra’s neck, telling her to stay as she walked up to the center of the courtyard, Ferdinand joining her while rubbing at his chest with a light grimace.

“You fought well, Ferdinand, thank you for the spar,” Ingrid said, bowing with a hand over her heart. Ferdinand shared a dashing smile despite the soreness and bowed in return.

“It’s an honor to fight with a noble such as you, Ingrid. May we both bring our houses glory!”

Ingrid held back her wince and nodded to him. The Professor was already calling the next two trainees up as she walked back to Astra, taking her reins and guiding her to the sidelines. It was there she met with Edelgard again, a smile on the princess’s face. Ingrid suddenly felt embarrassed.

“You and Astra are quite the pair,” Edelgard said, handing her coat back. Ingrid accepted it but only slung it over her shoulder - she was still warm.

“Thank you. Astra has been with me even before I came to Garreg Mach,” Ingrid replied. 

“May I…?” 

Ingrid looked at Edelgard’s outstretched, gloved hand. She didn’t know if she was bold to assume such things and if it weren’t for Hubert already sparring in the courtyard, she might’ve thought differently. Ingrid took her hand gently and guided it over to Astra, who sniffed curiously at the newcomer. Ingrid felt Edelgard’s fingers twitch in her palm, tensing as she waited for Astra’s answer. Astra soon bowed her head and a glittering smile broke on Edelgard’s face as she released Ingrid’s hand and stroked Astra’s mane and down to her neck. Ingrid could only watch with a mesmerized look, a light blush on her face as she saw Edelgard’s bright smile up close. She coughed into her fist and looked away.

“She’s beautiful,” Edelgard said thoughtfully, Astra responding with a soft huff. 

Ingrid only nodded, not trusting her words. The sun was still shining above, the rays casted a glow on Astra’s white mane and the silky snow of Edelgard’s hair.

Ingrid gulped. “Yeah, she is.”

* * *

The months that had passed were exhausting and overall confusing. It left Ingrid on edge, always wondering when the next fight would be or the next time she would have to spill blood of another. The bandits were inevitable - there wasn’t a good reason to really spare their lives that only sought to terrorize others. For many of the Black Eagles, it was their first time taking another life. Ingrid remembered that day solemnly, the way she held Dorothea’s hair back hidden in the bushes as she vomited from the crimes she felt she had committed, for survival or not. Bernadetta trembled as the Professor only held a hand on top of her head to provide her comfort. Linhardt was pale and stricken in the face, the sight of blood too much for him to bear. 

And it didn’t end there. Then came the Western Church and Lord Lonato, the excursion at the Holy Mausoleum, Flayn’s abduction, and the awful atrocity at Remire Village. The more blood spilled, the more the students became numb to it to where it almost felt like an everyday chore. 

Ingrid knew it was necessary, it was her duty to protect and to follow orders. Her heart couldn’t help but feel heavy. Every month brought new bouts of turmoil that the only way she could mentally prepare for it was to drown herself in training. She could scoff at herself, she was starting to become more like Felix as days passed.

It wasn’t all dark days, though. They found their ways to weave a bit of joy through the onslaught. Ingrid enjoyed the time that she spent with the Black Eagles. 

Dorothea would drag her to her room to nearly drown her in makeup powder. She could’ve sworn that when she did escape, a cloud of makeup followed her as she ran out the door with Dorothea calling after her to stop being so ridiculous. It didn’t help that Mercedes and Annette would join in on Dorothea’s idea of fun. Ingrid nearly barreled over Edelgard, much to Hubert’s severe irritation, as she ran. 

“Sorry, Edelgard!” Ingrid said quickly but kept her pace.

Edelgard huffed but betrayed it with a smirk as she watched the spectacle of her best friend running after the blonde. 

“C’mon Ingrid, it isn’t that bad!” Dorothea called after her, a brush in hand.

“Please, Goddess, stay away from me,” Ingrid begged.

Ingrid found a knack to get her classmates to train - especially Bernadetta. She would kick her door down with the girl frantically screaming in exasperation, it was almost comical. Ingrid would sling Bernadetta over her shoulder and paid no mind to the looks other students gave her as Bernadetta wriggled in her grasp. 

“I-Ingrid! My door! Did you really have to do that?! Put me d-down! I’ll train, I’ll train! Just let me go, this is so embarrassing!”

Once on the training grounds, Edelgard looked up from her particular exercises and raised a brow at Ingrid with Bernadetta still flailing her limbs. Ingrid had set her down and Bernie immediately ran behind Edelgard, using her cape as a cover from the overzealous knight. 

“Care to explain what’s going on, Ingrid?” 

She would apologize later and Bernadetta would forgive her, a woven handkerchief crafted for Ingrid’s intense training sessions a sign of her acceptance. 

Caspar was the opposite, he would hound her nonstop to train. Ingrid admired his enthusiasm and she found it amusing most days just how eager he was. He would challenge her to push up contests until her arms gave out beneath her, both of them breathing heavily with their cheeks against the cold stone floor of the training ground. 

“I’ll get you,” Caspar said, panting. “I’ll get you next time Ingrid, just you wait!”

Ingrid was just as breathless but she would never back down. “You’ve said that…” a breath, “so many times now.”

Their classmates laughed beside them as they spectated. Ingrid laughed with them and even Edelgard would join in on the fun. Ingrid didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or impressed that Edelgard always won that contest, even if it was by one more push. 

Her arms were shaking but she was happy. 

To top it all off, they would share meals together. Many times Ingrid and Edelgard would be on kitchen duty together. Ingrid remembered the pure shock on her face on that first day.

“Edelgard, uh, why do you have your axe with you?” Ingrid asked, tying an apron around her waist. 

Edelgard gave her an incredulous look and propped her axe on her shoulder. She looked ready for battle and definitely not for lunch. “Wouldn’t chopping vegetables be easier with a larger blade?” 

Before Ingrid could say anything, Edelgard charged ahead and took a vegetable in hands, full ready to strike it down with a swing. Ingrid panicked and wrapped a hand around Edelgard’s forearm. 

“Wait stop, Edelgard! That isn’t how that works!” Ingrid squeaked, coaxing Edelgard to put her axe down. She laughed then, the blush on Edelgard’s face rapidly dusting over her porcelain cheeks. The princess glared at her. 

“Don’t mock me, Ingrid. I didn’t have many opportunities to cook in Enbarr,” Edelgard said defensively. Ingrid only put her hands up in mock defeat as to not offend the house leader any longer. Edelgard’s shoulders sank, her frustration floated away. Ingrid picked up a knife off the counter and offered it to Edelgard.

“I’ll teach you,” Ingrid said as she lined up the carrot on the chopping board. She guided Edelgard’s hands to hold the knife properly and to avoid her fingers getting nicked as she chopped. “And you just go through the motions, like this. There you go.”

Edelgard only looked embarrassed but she was also intrigued that Ingrid’s guidance was correct. This wasn’t as bad as she thought. She chopped more vegetables and soon her motions were less hesitant and fumbled. 

“Did you cook a lot back in Faerghus?” Edelgard asked, eyes focused on her task.

“My family’s territory doesn’t have a lot of food. Our soil is very poor. My mother taught me how to cook as a way to make our meals last longer.”

“I’m sorry. It was careless of me to ask such a thing when things are difficult for your family.”

Ingrid shook her head. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s the way of things.”

“Is that why you came to Garreg Mach?” 

“I came here to become a knight, my father however…” Ingrid trailed off, not sure of why she was saying such things so openly. 

“Wants you to marry off into a noble family to secure your family’s future,” Edelgard finished for her, a particularly aggressive chop from the knife knocking on the cutting board.

“Yeah…” Ingrid said lamely.

“You deserve better than that,” Edelgard muttered. 

Ingrid’s heart thumped in her chest. She felt her cheeks warm and she turned her attention to stirring the contents of the pot instead, hoping the steam would cover her features. 

“Maybe.” 

* * *

Ingrid sighed into the open air, remembering all these moments while she looked at the ground beneath the bridge as students bustled behind her. After the horror of Remire, the students couldn’t help but chatter about the ball in hopes of changing the subject to something more festive. It was a welcome change but the idea of a ball didn’t ease Ingrid’s reservations - she didn’t know the first thing about dancing. 

She knew Dorothea would corner her yet again to get ready for the ball. It was inevitable. She prayed that she wouldn’t go overboard with this. She sighed again.

“Ingrid? Are you alright?”

Ingrid whipped around to the source of her voice to find Edelgard who had a curious look on her face. Ingrid relaxed and offered her a smile before looking back at the forest line beneath the bridge.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Ingrid replied. “Just not used to the festive mood, I suppose.”

“You and I, both,” Edelgard agreed. There was a moment of silence as they both stood together as they simply gazed at the landscape below. There was a cloudy mist that drifted among the tree tops along with a few birds that soared through. It was Edelgard who broke their peaceful quiet first. “Are you looking forward to the ball?”

Ingrid hummed, tracing a finger on the stone edge of the bridge. “It’ll be a breath of fresh air from all these events but I don’t know anything about dancing. Hopefully I can get away with just lingering to the side.”

Edelgard laughed lightly. “It’s not like you to shy away from things.”

“Maybe so,” Ingrid groaned, burying her head in her arms on the railing. She was comfortable to act this way in front of Edelgard. The princess hummed, a sympathetic pat on her shoulder. 

“Ingrid, there you are!” 

Ingrid jumped beneath Edelgard’s hand. Dorothea was purposely strutting towards her, a grin full of mischief on her face. Dorothea hooked an arm around Ingrid’s own.

“Hey Edie! I just need to borrow our dearest Ingrid here,” Dorothea greeted, Edelgard raising a brow at her.

“What are you up to, Dorothea?” Edelgard asked, suspicious. The signature scowl was back on her face but it had no effect on Dorothea who continued to smile innocently. 

“Nothing for you to worry about, Edie. I’m just getting Ingrid ready for the ball,” Dorothea sang, tugging Ingrid in the direction of the dormitories. Ingrid gave Edelgard a pleading look that read, _save me._

Edelgard grimaced and waved goodbye when Dorothea dragged her away. Once in Ingrid’s room, Ingrid spoke up.

“Dorothea, I told you, I’m not comfortable in dresses or makeup or any of that stuff. Can’t you just leave me be?”

“Oh, sweetie. I figured as much. That’s why I got this for you!” 

Ingrid’s eyes widened as Dorothea presented a well tailored suit, in Adrestian colors. The traditional red was more tamed, a deep, wine shade instead. A gold trim laced through the lapels and gold buttons fastened the cuffs. The vest was the same color as the coat with a black dress shirt beneath it. In Dorothea’s other hand was a belt, an oval shaped belt buckle stamped with a pegasus gleamed. Ingrid gaped, blinking at Dorothea for an explanation.

“I was having a lot of fun at your expense, I’ll admit. But I do listen, Ingrid,” Dorothea explained, laying the suit on top of the bed. “You said you weren’t comfortable with all the traditional beauty trends so I thought this would make you happier. Ferdinand was very excited to get the ‘most noble tailors of the von Aegir house to help a worthy noble such as Ingrid’.”

“I… don’t know what to say,” Ingrid said, fingertips running against the fabric of the suit. It felt comfortable.

“Maybe start by putting it on?” Dorothea offered with a smirk.

Ingrid stood quickly and disappeared behind the screen barrier in the corner to change. The finest tailors in Aegir territory, indeed. The suit fit well as if measured to her exact size. She could move freely in it and she examined herself in the mirror. The red fit her blush undertones to her skin, the darker colors making her green eyes more striking. She didn’t feel the need to hide herself away, she didn’t feel exposed. 

It was perfect.

The barrier was moved behind her and she jumped at Dorothea’s squeal. 

“Oh Ingrid, you look amazing!” Dorothea gushed, her eyes running up and down Ingrid’s form, nodding in approval.

“Th-Thank you. It looks really nice,” Ingrid agreed, embarrassed at being the focus of such attention.

“Nice? Sweetheart, you’re stunning. Edie doesn’t stand a chance,” Dorothea said aloud.

Ingrid’s brain short circuited. The image of the princess appeared in her mind, hair like silken snow, eyes the softest violet, and a delicate smile. She remembered the times Edelgard would laugh but she would try to hide it behind her glove. She felt the chill go down her spine when she watched Edelgard in battle, never faltering, never backing down. It was an image she wanted to protect, that she wanted to stand beside.

_Wait, does that mean-_

Ingrid felt the heat on her cheeks and she immediately deflected Dorothea’s implication.

“Dorothea, I have no idea what you’re talking about. What does this have to do with Edelgard?”

“Don’t play coy with me, Ingrid, it doesn’t suit you,” Dorothea pouted. “Anyone with eyes can see there’s something between you two. I mean, you joined our house right after that passionate spar with Edelgard at the mock battle. You can’t make things like that up!”

“She was just being kind and offering to help me with my goals towards knighthood,” Ingrid mumbled. 

“So her getting Hubert to not accompany her when she’s with you is just a coincidence? That girl walks with a permanent scowl on her face but when she’s with you, it’s different. She has eyes for you, dear, and no one else.”

“I- That’s-”

“It’s fine if you don’t believe me,” Dorothea quipped, turning Ingrid towards the mirror once more. She gave an encouraging nod and patted Ingrid’s shoulders. “Just wait and see.”

Ingrid didn’t know if she liked the sound of that. 

On the night of the ball, Ingrid did as expected. She stood off to the side, idling by the food table with a champagne flute in hand. She received many compliments on her outfit and many more on her hair style, her hair being braided and woven into a bun. She would thank them politely but she knew there was only one compliment that really mattered. The mere thought of it had her draining the champagne glass dry, hoping the alcohol content would mute her brain of buzzing, embarrassing thoughts. 

“Ah, Ingrid, there you are,” a voice called out to her.

Ingrid turned to be met with the bright expression of Ferdinand von Aegir.

“Good evening, Ferdinand,” Ingrid greeted. “I have to thank you, you didn’t have to go out of your way to get something made for me because of Dorothea’s antics.”

Ferdinand waved off her concern with a hand. “Nonsense, Ingrid! You look wonderful! It is a noble’s duty to protect the interests of those around him.”

“That interest being…?”

“Well, Dorothea feared you weren’t comfortable and that you were rather anxious for this event,” Ferdinand explained. “She thought it might help you feel better and I, Ferdinand von Aegir, am not one to turn away from listening to righteous requests.”

Ingrid nearly laughed over the rim of yet another champagne glass. Ferdinand was a proud noble, exuding arrogance at times, but he had a good heart that wanted to help others in the only way he knew how. The world of nobility was a sore spot for her. It spoke down on every dream and desire she wished for but she supposed if there were nobles like Ferdinand around, then maybe there was hope for it yet.

Ferdinand seemed to pick up on Ingrid’s far away thoughts and decided to take his leave. He bowed to her from the waist. “I won’t keep you Ingrid. Have a lovely night.”

“Thank you Ferdinand. Thank you again,” Ingrid said and bowed to him in return. Ferdinand turned away and took a few steps away before pausing. 

He looked over his shoulder, a handsome smile on his face. “I think someone is looking to dance with you.”

Ingrid didn’t have time to question him before he veered to the side, revealing an approaching Edelgard that made Ingrid’s heart stutter beneath her ribcage. Edelgard looked like she was wearing an officer’s uniform but that would be an insult to describe it in such a plain way. She was regal, the fabric hugging her curves in beautiful woven patterns of red like silk. She donned an ornate shoulder pauldron, home to a long flowing cape, the edges lined with tassels of gold thread. The princess stood high, her boots in heeled black and tights that only reached up to mid-thigh, a sliver of her alabaster skin beneath the lights of the chandelier stealing Ingrid’s breath away.

She was beautiful. Beautiful wasn’t enough. Ethereal maybe. Ingrid tried to take another breath, a curse beneath it. _Still not enough._

In her peripheral vision she saw the platter being carried with more champagne and she whisked another one off, lips on the rim before she made eye contact with emerald eyes full of mirth. Dorothea winked at her, a smirk present across her ruby lips as she handed back the platter she seemingly borrowed from the kitchen staff. Ingrid glared at her as she emptied the glass, her lips tingling from the drink and inebriation. 

Dorothea brushed past her and whispered, “Don’t keep her waiting.”

Ingrid didn’t have time to retort as Dorothea swayed away and Edelgard was in her space, just an arm’s length away. Ingrid locked eyes with her lilac ones, now seeing that her hair was pinned up in an intricate bun, with just enough strands loose to frame her delicate face. 

If Ingrid were paying attention or not in her own stupor, she would’ve noticed the same mesmerized expression on Edelgard’s face, drinking the lady knight in. 

“Ingrid, you look-”

“Your Highness I-”

They stopped at the same time and smiled sheepishly at one another. Ingrid cleared her throat and did the only thing she knew to do. She bowed deeply from her waist, hoping to hide the heat rushing to her face. 

“You look really, uh, nice, Edelgard,” Ingrid said and winced at the floor. Out of all the bumbling thoughts in her mind, the pure poetry that embodied everything Edelgard was, all she could say was “nice”. Ingrid felt a tap on her shoulder and she looked up being met with Edelgard with an amused look. And was that… embarrassment?

“Ingrid, please. There’s no need to bow, I thought we’ve talked about this formality treatment,” Edelgard said, a slight frown on her face.

Ingrid snapped up straight and chuckled awkwardly, playing with the buttons on her coat cuffs. 

“Sorry. Habit,” Ingrid said, making an excuse.

“Well in any case, thank you, Ingrid. You look very nice as well.”

“Thank you. Ferdinand commissioned this for me per Dorothea’s request.”

“I was wondering why those two looked so smug tonight.” As if on cue, Ingrid spotted the named students just beyond the crowd, Dorothea looking positively pleased with herself and Ferdinand with his chest puffed in pride. 

“I apologize for their antics, they do mean well though,” Edelgard sighed, a hand on her hip now. 

“It’s no trouble. I… quite like it actually,” Ingrid finished quietly. “Have you been enjoying the ball?”

Edelgard gave a brief shrug. “It’s been well enough. I do appreciate the change in atmosphere. But I was hoping you would entertain a thought for me, if you so please.”

“Name it,” Ingrid found herself answering immediately.

“Dance with me.” 

A gloved hand extended towards her and Ingrid didn’t think twice about taking it with her own. She met Edelgard’s gentle smile with a matching one. It was replaced with a confused look once Edelgard began to pull her in the opposite direction of the ballroom floor.

“Hey, we’re going the wrong way,” Ingrid said as she continued to follow Edelgard’s lead. Edelgard only looked over her shoulder and put a finger up to her lips. The knight nodded along as they weaved their way through the cover of night in the monastery. Ingrid was about to ask where they were going after winding up a series of steps before being halted in her tracks at the view.

It was the Goddess Tower. 

The expanse of the night sky and the moon glimmered through the open window. Edelgard turned to her then and Ingrid felt her hand twitch in her hold, the sight of the princess in such a delicate setting was almost too much for her to fathom. In Ingrid’s eyes, emotion swirled through waves of uncertainty and exhilaration. Edelgard was…

“Ingrid? Are you alright?” Edelgard squeezed their joined hands.

Ingrid blinked rapidly, the world coming back into focus. They could still hear the music from the ballroom, the gentle piano carried into the breeze as the strings pulled to the rhythm of a waltz.

“Yes, of course,” Ingrid answered. “But, why did you bring me here?”

Edelgard gave her an indifferent shrug. 

“You were worried about dancing and yet you still agreed to dance with me. I figured it would be more comfortable to be away from the crowd and prying eyes.”

Ingrid blinked. _She really thought that far ahead?_

“...Is this okay?” Edelgard asked this time, concerned that she may have overstepped.

Ingrid knew her dancing knowledge was nonexistent but for Edelgard and all of her eagerness, to even look for her and ask her to accompany her, Ingrid would try her very best. She gave her a small smile as a consolation as her hand curved around the line of Edelgard’s waist. She felt the princess hang onto her shoulder and the knight took a slow breath as she led them into a dance.

The dance itself was nothing remarkable, just a gentle sway to the music. But to Ingrid, it felt as if she were flying on Astra through the skies. Pure and freeing. Edelgard always imposed an intimidating aura but right now, Ingrid felt no such thing. There was no pressure to act a certain way, to uphold noble standards, or to even think about her father’s wishes. It was selfish but if only for tonight - she would allow herself this much. 

“Do you know the legend of the Goddess Tower?” Edelgard’s voice was soft as if not wanting to shatter the moment they shared.

“I’ve heard stories of it - something about if you made a wish on this day, the Goddess will bless it and it will come true,” Ingrid recited, then looked down on Edelgard who seemed to have a lot on her mind. “Although, I wouldn’t take you as someone who would believe in such stories.”

Edelgard’s lips ticked up but it wasn’t a happy smile, more melancholy. “No… not usually. As future emperor, I don’t have time for such things. I have to prepare to stand with the weight of the Adrestian Empire on my shoulders.”

Ingrid found herself holding Edelgard closer. She pulled her a breath’s distance towards her body as if that were enough to protect her from the burdens of their lineage. It was something Ingrid knew all too well. Edelgard didn’t fight against her hold in the slightest. Ingrid convinced herself that this was normal, this is what friends did, to support one another. But she could hear Dorothea’s voice in her mind, honey-like and teasing, _you’re a liar my dear. You love-_

“If you could wish for anything in the world, without the burdens of crests and our families, what would you do?” Edelgard interrupted her thoughts. 

Ingrid looked overhead, a wild pegasus on its flight across the sky, cutting the moon with its wings. Ingrid breathed deeply.

“I… can’t envision my life without being a knight, regardless if my father’s wishes existed or not,” Ingrid began. “I lost someone dear to me, years ago. He died in service to what he loved. I can’t think of anything else beyond that for me.”

Edelgard froze and Ingrid was forced to stop their dance. She looked at Edelgard curiously who didn’t meet her eyes. Ingrid knew Edelgard well enough to know that this was unusual - Edelgard always met her challenges head on.

“Was it something I said?” Ingrid asked, nervously.

Edelgard looked to come back to herself, lilac eyes becoming clearer as she blinked back at the future-knight. She shook her head and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. But she still didn’t say anything.

“Is there something you would wish for?” Ingrid continued, hoping that if she shifted the subject off herself, maybe Edelgard wouldn’t look so uncomfortable. Edelgard looked at her once more, her eyes steeled with the familiar resolve Ingrid took comfort in. Edelgard gently placed her hands on the tops of Ingrid’s shoulders and stepped closer. 

She gave the knight her answer. 

Ingrid made a muffled noise in the back of her throat when Edelgard’s lips slid over her own in a sweet kiss, the feeling of silk cradling her jaw as if she had been something so dear, so valuable. Ingrid’s addled mind smoothed her hands further around Edelgard’s waist, taking in everything Edelgard was giving up to her. Her eyes closed in that blissful moment, Edelgard’s lips caressing her own with such a deep reverence, it made Ingrid dizzy and without her knowing, tears pushed on the back of her eyes.

Edelgard pulled away too soon and gazed back at Ingrid with her eyes widened in shock and her fingers over her lips - as if she had no idea what had come over herself in the few seconds they were joined together. There was a war raging in her eyes. 

“I-”

“Edelgard-”

Edelgard was out of her grasp and she ducked her head to hide whatever expression had come over her face. The princess rushed past her, the echoes of her footsteps on the stone steps booming in Ingrid’s head. She stood deathly still, the night going quiet, the music no longer playing. Only the rhythm of her heart drummed on her ears and the staccato of her staggered breaths. The knight clutched at empty air and a lonely tear tracked down her face, turning to moonlit rivers on her cheeks.

When she looked over the balcony’s edge, she remembered how certain she would see eternity when she looked at the sky. How certain she was that her pegasus would fly them to the ends of the earth in service to a higher purpose. To live and die, in service to the King. Yet here she was, painted in Adrestian colors with the taste of the future emperor on her lips. She couldn’t think of the king or any other noble. In her mind’s eye, all she could see was a throne with an Emperor Edelgard in all her fiery aura and presence, and herself on her knees. 

_Goddess, what am I going to do?_

* * *

“Astra, I think I messed things up somehow,” Ingrid mumbled, brushing the shiny coat of her pegasus clean. Astra gave her a soft huff and nudged her collarbone gently in comfort. Edelgard had been avoiding her. Hubert, like the ever loyal guard dog he was, was always by her side, giving Ingrid no entrance to even speak to her. She would see her in class but otherwise it was like the girl had vanished from her life. If she ever chanced to make eye contact with her, Edelgard was already looking away.

It wasn’t as if Ingrid understood her feelings either. But Edelgard was her friend at the very least, that she understood, and she worried that something like this could ruin it. Weeks had passed since the ball and Ingrid didn’t realize just how much of her days were taken up by her. She sighed into the open air again.

“Astra, what am I going to do? She won’t even look at me,” Ingrid said, sadly. 

“Ingrid!”

Ingrid perked up and whirled her body towards the entrance to the stables, being met with a near breathless Dorothea.

“Dorothea? What is it? What’s happened?”

“We have to go. There’s reports of demonic beasts at the chapel. We have to join the Professor and the others!”

Ingrid felt a chill run down her spine but she nodded resolutely nonetheless. The last encounter they had with a demonic beast was when Miklan turned. It was horrifying. How sickening it looked to watch the relic overtake him, replacing him with nothing but a bloodthirsty, savage monster. She would never forget the turmoil on Sylvain’s face. 

It wasn’t long before Ingrid was geared in her pegasus knight armor, her lance strapped to her back, as she willed Astra to the skies. She regrouped with the rest of the Black Eagles near the grounds of the chapel, also suited for battle. Edelgard was stoic and focused, outside distractions would never pierce the veil around her. Ingrid decided it was best not to think about such things right now.

Captain Jeralt was already on his steed as he led them into battle. From Ingrid’s position in the air, she could see not one, not two, but four demonic beasts in the area. There were students being cornered at each end.

“I’ll head in the direction of the chapel. The rest of you, save those students!” Jeralt ordered, twirling his lance by his side.

The Professor gave her orders and soon Ingrid was converging on a demonic beast with Petra and Dorothea in tow. Ingrid made a series of strikes on the beast, weaving out of the path of its claws fast enough, allowing Petra and Dorothea to make their attacks on its moment of distraction. The sounds of battle filled the air, demonic beasts roars swelled to the skies. Together the trio brought down the beast in a bloody heap, Dorothea guided the student to safety while Petra was already on the lookout for their next target. 

In the distance, Ingrid could see Edelgard on the main road, leading the offensive with Hubert and Caspar behind her. Linhardt was running all around, casting healing spells where he could. Byleth and Jeralt had gone on ahead, hoping to free the last few students from the encroaching creatures. 

Ingrid saw there was something different about this particular beast on the front line. She guided Astra forward and watched in shock as the beast reared on its hind legs and let out a piercing shriek that caused the earth below it crumble. Hubert and Caspar lost their footing as the beast whipped around and struck them backwards with its tail. Linhardt was in the process of healing them already as Dorothea joined in to aid him. The beast turned its attention to Edelgard, pummeling her shield with its claws. Her shield clanged against the force and Edelgard kept sinking into the unsteady ground, face grit with strain from trying to fend it off.

Petra was sprinting as fast she could to tag in for her fallen comrades and Ingrid urged Astra on faster. With another mighty strike and an eerie glow from the beast’s head, Edelgard’s shield shattered and threw her off balance. The monster’s other claw was already raised to make its follow-up attack. 

Ingrid’s adrenaline spiked and Goddess, if she didn’t do something, the beast would cleave her in two. Astra’s wings were flapping with all of her might and Ingrid leaned down to whisper to her.

“Sorry girl, I’m going on ahead.”

And from Astra’s back, Ingrid jumped into the fray on the downswing of the beast’s attack, standing in front of Edelgard with her lance raised in a block. The knockback took the air from Ingrid’s lungs as Edelgard and her flew backwards in a tumble. Her lance was broken and her armor was gouged through, the blood spattering onto her own pale cheek. 

Through blurred vision she could see the sky and hear the sounds of spells being shot off. She felt herself be lifted and she hissed loudly, her wounds begging whatever force that had her to stop. A gentle hand cradled the back of her head and took her armored glove in another.

“Ingrid come on, look at me. Say something,” a voice begged. 

Ingrid blinked sluggishly and Edelgard came into focus above her. Her hair was strewn in all directions, dirt smeared on her cheek, and her armor was cracked in a few places. But she was alive. Ingrid could at least smile at that. 

“Ed-Edelgard,” she rasped, breathing slow. If she breathed any deeper she feared her ribcage would shatter. “Thank goodness.”

“You absolute fool, what were you thinking?” Edelgard reprimanded, her voice tight with emotion. Ingrid supposed herself as a sad fool, nearly reveling in the fact that Edelgard was speaking to her once again. If she could laugh without crying, she would at the irony of it all and how pathetic it must’ve sounded.

“I wasn’t,” Ingrid replied. 

Edelgard looked as if she were fighting with herself as she gave Ingrid an exasperated, torn look. But Ingrid wouldn’t see the extent of that battle as her eyes became too heavy to keep open. Her own grip loosened but Edelgard tightened her own.

“Ingrid, no, don’t close your eyes. Stay with me.”

_Huh_. Ingrid thought to herself. It must’ve started to rain. The drips on her face and the sound of Edelgard’s voice pulled her into a dreamless sleep. The world turned to the soundless dark and the knight went unconscious in the arms of the weeping princess.

* * *

At first Ingrid felt warm, like a blanket of sunlight had casted over her. Her eyes slowly blinked open, wincing at the bright glow that pierced through her vision. That’s when she noticed the pain. It was dull but it stretched from her collarbone and across her chest, as if she had been slashed through.

_Oh._

She remembered everything. The demonic beast had nearly severed her in half. She remembered feeling a cold gust of air whip across her face. It wasn’t until she hit the ground did she realize it wasn’t the wind at all but the frigid steel of its claws slicing through her skin. 

It all went dark after that, the echoes of shouts in her mind as she passed out. 

After a few more bleary blinks, she found herself in an infirmary bed. She was bare of a shirt, new bandages wrapped from the line of her shoulder and around her chest. She tried to raise herself up on her forearms before hissing at the strain that hit her right through her ribcage.

“Lady Ingrid, you shouldn’t be straining yourself!” 

Ingrid’s head looked up at one of the monastery chirurgeon's hastily making their way towards her bed. Ingrid sighed and laid against her pillows once again.

“How long have I been out?”

“Her Highness, Lady Edelgard, carried you in but a few hours ago,” the healer informed, checking on her bandages to make sure they weren’t put out of place. Once they were satisfied, they pulled away and nodded. “I will go send for Professor Eisner now that you’ve awoken. Your class was all very worried about you.”

Before Ingrid could protest, the healer was out of the room. Ingrid frowned. She knew what she did was reckless, which was rich coming from someone who constantly pushed her training and form. She didn’t know what came over her. The moment she saw Edelgard in harm’s way, all she could think was _protect, protect, protect._ She looked blankly at the ceiling, wondering if this is what it felt to give up your life so willingly.

But Edelgard wasn’t her liege. So why, why did she do it?

Before her mind could fumble an answer, the infirmary doors were open once again, the Professor striding in with the house leader and Felix in tow. Ingrid couldn’t read the expression Edelgard’s face which probably wasn’t a good thing. Felix always looked angry but there was something different about it this time. The Professor’s blank expression was gone, a different one taking its place. It was the most emotion Ingrid had ever witnessed from her and she wished it wasn’t that. Her eyes were overwhelmingly sad, Ingrid knew, it was the same expression she wore herself when she lost Glenn.

Byleth took a seat near her bedside, Edelgard and Felix remained standing behind her.

“How are you feeling, Ingrid?” Byleth asked.

“I’m alright. It hurts to sit up but the pain is dulled down,” Ingrid responded, almost meekly beneath Byleth’s analytic gaze. She felt almost uncomfortable talking about it, knowing she was only here because of her faults. “Is everyone else okay? Are the other students safe? What happ-”

“Everyone’s fine, Ingrid,” Byleth cut in, her voice cracking in the smallest place. She was lying but Ingrid didn’t press on it. “I’ll tell you everything once you’ve recovered. For now, worry about yourself.”

“But-”

“You need to rest,” Byleth cut her off again, more aggressive now. “We can’t lose anyone else. Understand?”

“Professor, I’m really fi-”

“Do. You. Understand?”

It was the first time Byleth ever raised her voice and Ingrid found herself silent. If the room wasn’t so quiet, Ingrid wouldn’t have heard her sigh as Byleth rose from her seat. 

“I’ll let the others know you’re alright,” was all she said before she was out of the room. Edelgard still remained by her side although refusing to sit down. Felix did the same. Ingrid looked to him first, a frown on her face now.

“Are you going to reprimand me too?”

Felix grunted and crossed his arms. “You’re alive. That’s good enough.”

“Didn’t know you cared so much,” Ingrid muttered beneath her breath.

“If you knew better-” His fists clenched and he huffed, cutting off his sharp tone. His weight shifted from foot to foot. Ingrid looked at him curiously, he was never one to look indecisive.He looked at her again, eyes like steel. “Your training taught you better than to make foolish mistakes. That stunt you pulled wasn’t you. I can cover your blind side, not your stupid one.” 

With that, he twisted on his heel and left. His mind was already focused on getting to the training ground. He would train even harder this time, then maybe… 

He grunted at the thought and put it to rest. 

Ingrid gaped at where Felix once was, not knowing what to say at all. He was worried about her as much as he loathed admitting it. It was something she didn’t know how to swallow, simply becoming used to his callousness over the years. 

She sighed and turned her attention to the silent girl who still hadn’t moved from her spot. Physically, she looked alright. But Edelgard had a knack for making her feel emotions she didn’t quite understand. 

“Edelgard, you’re not hurt, are you?”

And like a branch had been snapped underfoot, Edelgard finally broke her silence, head rising and a ferocity in her lilac eyes that Ingrid had never seen before. 

“You’re asking if _I’m_ okay?” Edelgard said quietly, voice level. Ingrid almost wished she had just shouted at her instead. 

“Well, why wouldn’t I?”

Edelgard gave her an exasperated look. “ _Goddess_ , Ingrid. You nearly died, what the hell were you thinking?!”

There it was. The anger bubbling over that even the imperial princess couldn’t keep her composure. 

“I was trying to protect you! You would’ve been killed!” Ingrid argued, rising up from her bed on a reflex. Edelgard was at her side quickly, helping her sit up the rest of the way but the frustrated look didn’t leave her face. Ingrid took a steadying breath before continuing, “What kind of knight would I become if I didn’t protect others?”

“You are a knight second,” Edelgard spat.

“Excuse me?” Ingrid bristled. 

“You are Ingrid first and a knight second,” Edelgard said, her hands balling into fists on top of the bed. “You should care more about your well-being.”

“It’s a knight’s duty to serve and to-”

“Enough!” 

Their gazes locked and Ingrid felt a lump in her throat - there were tears on the corners of Edelgard’s eyes. If she wasn’t so angry, Ingrid might’ve felt mesmerized at the rare sight.

“No one else’s life holds more worth than your own life. You shouldn’t be so careless with it, there are people that need you alive,” the princess seethed. “If this is where your sense of honor gets you,” Edelgard’s eyes shifted to the bandages, a solemn look passing over. “You’ll hurt the people you care about far more than you protect them.”

Ingrid swallowed, her fingertips clutching the bedsheet. “Edelgard, I chose to protect you, and I was prepared for the consequences. Why can no one see that?”

Edelgard blinked and cast her head down, a shadow coming over her eyes. A single tear dropped and Ingrid raised her hand to wipe it away. Edelgard backed off before she could reach her, standing and the chair nearly toppled backwards.

“For your sake then, I hope you never choose me again,” Edelgard said quietly and turned, her red cape swishing in an arc before the princess had left Ingrid alone. Ingrid’s eyes remained locked on the door that had slammed shut. It felt like hours before her gaze finally dropped to her lap, where she turned her palms over and just looked at herself. The Professor’s words echoed in her mind this time.

_Dying needlessly isn’t noble. It won’t save anyone._

It tore at her heart. The principles she grew up were twisting and changing with every passing moment. She met Edelgard and everything she knew about being a traditional knight vanished right before her eyes. Her body and soul swore loyalty when she wasn’t asked. It scared her because she couldn’t pin when everything changed. She wasn’t even certain if it was the kiss that did it, she imagined it was long before that. It all left a bittersweet taste on her tongue. The old Ingrid would sooner be struck down by a blade before she let go of her ideals as a knight. But now, those ideals wouldn’t make her growing feelings any less true. She was terrified at the war raging within her. But the fear of losing Edelgard was far worse. 

She knew she couldn’t follow through with Edelgard’s wish. Ingrid would do it again. From that moment on, she would always choose her. 

* * *

Ingrid recovered quickly under the monastery’s care and she was back in action soon after. Another month had passed and not much had changed - save for the Professor becoming akin to a god. Edelgard and Hubert were going to and from Garreg Mach, to where she didn’t have a clue. Ingrid knew it was for the best that they didn’t see each other for now, Edelgard had been pretty angry. 

Besides, Lady Rhea had a new assignment - guarding the Holy Tomb for the revelation ceremony. It was to take place at the end of the month. Edelgard was gone for most of the month and the Professor had accompanied the woman to Enbarr, or so she had heard. Ingrid sighed to herself.

“Your tea is going to get cold.”

Ingrid looked up from her reflection in the cup to Dorothea regarding her with an empathetic expression from across the table. _Oh, right._

“Sorry Dorothea, I was lost in thought,” Ingrid said, sipping at her tea.

“You seem to have a lot of things on your mind lately. Anything to do with Edie?”

Ingrid tensed and then relaxed in the same instant. There was no use hiding it now. Dorothea was right, Edelgard had felt something for her. Yet she ran away. She nearly groaned and hit her head on the table, it didn’t make any sense. Ingrid set her tea cup back in its saucer and then back atop the table.

“Edelgard kissed me. At the ball, in the Goddess Tower,” Ingrid revealed. “But… she ran away. She’s been avoiding me ever since.”

“She must’ve been so shocked that she herself gave into those emotions,” Dorothea pondered. She didn’t even look surprised at Ingrid’s news, it was if she had been expecting it. Ingrid’s expression blatantly showed those thoughts. Dorothea tilted her head at her, a soft smile now. “What? You think I’m Edie’s best friend for nothing? She may think she’s so well hidden but I grew up on the streets of Enbarr. I know the emotions game.”

“Enlighten me then. One moment she kisses me, the next moment she’s running away. I nearly get cut in half by a monster and she’s holding onto me, and now she’s angry. I just don’t understand, Dorothea,” Ingrid sighed, stirring her tea now.

“Well I guess the first question is, why are you so concerned by it? Do you have feelings for Edie, too?” 

The spoon she was using to stir halted and then clinked against the porcelain rim. 

“I can’t… stop thinking about it. About her,” Ingrid said, as if saying things around the word “feelings” would make it less impactful. “She was so angry with me back in the infirmary. She doesn’t want me to choose her, to protect her, again. But I don’t think I can do it.”

“You make my life very difficult.”

“Well I’m sorry for divulging my feelings to my friend,” Ingrid snapped.

Dorothea reached a gentle, placating hand across the table. “What I mean is, dear, you make the life of an opera writer difficult. I think you love her.”

Ingrid paused and chewed her bottom lip. She remembered the night of the ball, how wonderful Edelgard looked. Yet in all her beauty, she was still sad and Ingrid held her beneath the moonlight. Not because her principled tendencies told her to but because she felt that she needed to, for Edelgard and for her alone.

“I think I knew that,” Ingrid admitted after a moment. “But it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t want me around her or speaking to her.”

Dorothea shrugged. “I believe that’s the answer though. She does want all that. But she’s the heir to the throne, to one day lead over the Empire. There’s probably a lot of things that go along with that. I think Edie doesn’t see herself entertaining thoughts other than her duties but it seems you were the exception. It probably scares her.”

“Edelgard. Scared?” Ingrid said doubtfully.

“We all have our fears, Ingrid. We all handle them differently,” Dorothea replied. “Under all that noble cloth, Edie is just a young girl. She’s just as afraid to lose those she cares about, just as you are afraid that you can’t protect everyone.”

Ingrid paused, looking at Dorothea as if she grew another head. From pure observation alone, she had put together the pieces that Ingrid fumbled with for weeks. When had the songstress become so insightful? 

“Pardon me.”

The tea partners turned their heads to the voice, finding Petra approaching who was already geared up for their assignment. 

“Oh, Petra. Is it time already? I’m sorry you had to look for us,” Dorothea apologized, rising from her seat.

Petra shook her head with a small smile. “It is no trouble to have been finding the two of you. The Professor says we should be going soon.”

“Right. We’ll be there in a moment,” Ingrid answered. They didn’t envision this assignment to be met with any trouble but Ingrid was always prepared in moments like these. This was what she knew. Not all of these confusing feelings and the weight of choices between duty and heart. 

How horribly wrong she was. 

Her blood had gone cold when Edelgard revealed herself to be the Flame Emperor in the hollow of the holy tomb. Ingrid’s ears were ringing as the new Adrestian Emperor ordered her soldiers to collect the crest stones and to kill them if they struggled. Her mind was whirling - Remire Village, Flayn’s abduction, Jeralt’s death, had it really been all of Edelgard’s fault? Edelgard’s eyes landed on Ingrid’s green ones for just a moment. Beneath the faint lights of the tomb, Ingrid could see it. The walls were going up in the shades of violet but Ingrid wasn’t about to let her run away this time. Whether the truth would break her heart or not, she needed answers. 

“Professor, let me go after her,” Ingrid requested, tightening her grip on Astra’s reins.

“You’re no match for her, you know that,” Byleth retorted as she led the remaining Black Eagles to the fray. The battle was practically shaking the walls of the sacred place. 

“Not this time.”

Byleth’s eyes turned to steel and stared very intently at Ingrid’s resolve. The lady knight held her ground until the Professor finally acquiesced.

“Felix, Petra, Dorothea, with Ingrid, now!” Byleth commanded. 

Her companions joined Ingrid in her charge to the front, her other comrades eliminating imperial soldiers as Byleth distracted the demonic beasts in their path. Incoming arrows were slashed down by Felix’s blade, Dorothea and Petra following up with their attacks of ranged iron and thunder. Astra and Ingrid flew circles around their opponents, careful spearhead strikes taking down the defensive line piece by piece.

“Ingrid, what the hell do you think you’re up to?” Felix grit out, swiftling disarming a soldier and running a blade through his back.

“I’m going to face Edelgard,” Ingrid said as if it had been the most obvious thing in the world.

“You’ll get yourself killed.”

“This is the path I choose Felix, I will go on without you, don’t make me do that,” Ingrid grunted, parrying a stray arrow and meeting her attacker with a precise javelin. “You’re the only one I can trust to cover me, both my blind one and stupid one.”

Felix looked up at her and her steed. After a moment’s breath, he sighed. “...Fine.”

That was all the answer Ingrid needed before she took off again with Felix keeping pace beside her. The Black Eagles were catching up, converging on the stairs. Ingrid had to reach Edelgard first, she had to talk to her before Rhea passed her judgment. While the students were preoccupied with the last remaining defenses, Ingrid swooped over them and landed near Edelgard with a strong gust of wind, just hovering about the ground.

“Edelgard!” Ingrid called out to her. “Don’t do this!”

Edelgard’s wry smile plucked at her heartstrings, reminiscent of the smile she gave her on the night of the ball. “I have no excuses for you. Thank you, for everything you did for me. For protecting me…”

“We could help you, Edelgard. I could help you! We can talk this out. Please, it doesn’t have to be like this.”

Edelgard’s grip on her axe tightened as she teetered on the edge of her resolve. The tension was broken as Edelgard made her first strike, the silver of her axe cutting a crescent through the air that Ingrid dodged.

“Yes. It does,” Edelgard said solemnly as she continued her onslaught, Ingrid parrying her strikes as best she could. The sheer weight of her axe and her blows made it difficult for Ingrid to find balance and to land her strikes precisely. She could see Astra’s wings straining from the momentum. She just needed an opening, one chance to get through Edelgard’s carefully constructed walls. 

And as if the Goddess answered her prayers, a strong gust of a wind spell came at Edelgard. Dorothea had her hands outstretched from afar, looking as though the action pained her to do. The wind knocked back Edelgard’s shield arm and Ingrid took the split second chance to perform yet another foolish tactic. 

She strapped her lance on her back and almost comically, Ingrid leapt off Astra and brought Edelgard down in a full tackle, impacting right into her midsection. Her axe and shield clattered to the stone ground as Ingrid pinned her by her forearms, the adrenaline and emotions causing her to tighten her grip.

Emerald clashed with lilac, sun and the moon hovering around one another. Ingrid felt familiar tears in her eyes again. She thought she had shed all her tears and steeled herself beyond such foolish things after Glenn had passed. And yet the weeks of endless questions without answers, the constant push and pull of Edelgard’s emotions, and the betrayal made it impossible for her to hold them back. If this is what love did to people, she almost wished it didn’t exist. 

“Don’t run away,” Ingrid pleaded softly. Edelgard’s eyes widened from where she lay and searched Ingrid’s own for something. Whatever she found, Edelgard closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose.

“So. My path ends here.”

When Ingrid heard footsteps coming closer, she released the emperor and stood, feeling Edelgard rising up behind her. Lady Rhea was seething, stark angles to her brows and a snarl on her lips. It made Ingrid dig her heels in on instinct and she could feel the questioning stare on the back of her neck. Byleth only looked at them both with a blank, calculating expression. 

“Professor. Kill Edelgard at once. She is a threat to all of Fodlan and her heart must not be allowed to keep beating,” Rhea spat. Her sharp gaze cut to Ingrid then, so full of venom it made the knight flinch. “Ingrid, move out of the way. We must cast judgment on this vile creature.”

Every muscle in Ingrid’s body tensed, the sound of her teeth grinded in her ears. She could feel her pulse quicken. The Professor was right. Dying needlessly wasn’t noble. If she died here, there would be no one left to protect them. To protect the ones she cared about. To protect the ones she loved. In the face of this imminent threat, Ingrid only stood her ground. She was Ingrid Brandl Galatea first before she was a knight to any faction, territory, or person. Even if she didn’t have all the answers right now, she chose her heart and the Edelgard she knew. 

The girl who kissed her so lovingly, the one who shared unabashed laughter at the antics of their friends, and the one who had given her a choice to choose her own path. She didn’t know it then, too flustered and too inexperienced to make her feelings make sense. She didn’t know it would eventually mean everything to her. 

“No.”

Ingrid heard the collective intake of a breath from their mini audience but what caught her attention was Edelgard’s sound of disbelief from behind her. 

“What did you just say?” Rhea said dangerously. 

“You won’t harm her. Over my dead body, you won’t touch her,” Ingrid spat, laying the threat at the archbishop’s feet. She reached for her lance once again, wielding it in both hands, the steel brandished in the direction of Rhea’s stunned expression. 

“You dare turn your blade against the church, the Goddess herself?” Rhea nearly shrieked. “Professor, kill them both now. We must not allow such heretics to dwell in this holy place!”

Byleth looked directly at Ingrid now. Ingrid would understand if she had to walk this path alone. But the Professor had other intentions. With the smallest, comforting smile, Byleth made their way towards them and then turned her back, the Sword of the Creator pointed at Rhea as well, her answer unwavering and unquestionable.

“How… dare you!”

In Rhea’s fury, there was a blinding light and suddenly they were face to face with a vicious draconian beast. Ingrid gaped at the sight, barely hearing Hubert’s humorless chuckle of referring to what used to be Rhea as the “Immaculate One”.

“We have to get out of here!” Byleth shouted, already signaling for a retreat. The student’s didn’t need to be told twice as they sprinted for the exit. Ingrid whistled loudly on her two fingers before she scooped Edelgard up onto Astra’s back. Ingrid quickly settled into her saddle and yanked on the reins. 

“Come on Astra, let’s fly!” 

The walls shook with the dragon’s roar and they could feel heat on their backs from whatever magic or blast the beast had conjured. From overhead, Ingrid spotted Byleth quickly maneuvering everyone on different modes of travel: pegasi, wyverns, horses. Anything to get them out of there as quickly as possible. Another roar came and it felt as if it rattled the skies. 

“I don’t suppose you have experience outrunning dragons on pegasi?” Edelgard shouted over the wind, her grip around Ingrid’s waist tight.

“Making jokes now, are we?” Ingrid retorted in exasperation. “Honestly, Edelgard, if you knew what the archbishop was, was it wise to make her so angry?”

“If it made even a few people see the truth, it was worth it.” 

Ingrid sighed. If they made it out of this alive, she would have to take some time to process everything. _The archbishop was a goddess-forsaken dragon._ It took every ounce of willpower to not collapse from the pure physical and mental exhaustion. Eventually they landed ways away from the monastery, taking refuge in a provisional camp that was hidden amongst the mountains. Astra landed with an exhausted huff, letting Ingrid and Edelgard slide off her back. An imperial soldier had met with them, taking Astra to their makeshift stables inside of the mountain along with the other steeds that had arrived after them. 

The Black Eagles arrived bit by bit, fortunately unscathed from the ordeal. Upon seeing one another, they all released a sigh of relief. They were all alive and accounted for. When Byleth had slid off her horse, handing it off to the stable hand, she spoke briefly with Hubert. Hubert then turned to the group, hands behind his back.

“We’ll gather inside. We have much to discuss,” he informed. He turned on his heel and led the way. The Black Eagles shuffled behind him, some briefly acknowledged Ingrid as they passed. The way the knight stood beside Edelgard was enough comfort from the initial shock and the betrayal, for now. Once all the students were inside, Edelgard finally turned to Ingrid.

“I owe you a debt, Ingrid,” Edelgard said quietly. Ingrid sighed. She was glad they were on speaking terms again and yet she was still frustrated, maybe even a bit angry. She would need time to think after their initial meetings were over. She had so many questions and they wouldn’t stop whirling through her mind like an unforgiving storm.

Ingrid brushed past Edelgard towards where everyone had gone, only pausing next to her for a moment to breathe the few words she could manage. “You already owe me.”

* * *

The Adrestian Empire didn’t have knights but here Ingrid was, standing among the steps of the throne room with the new found Black Eagle Strike Force by her side. Edelgard stood before her throne, her red shoulder cape gone, replaced with the emperor’s regalia of a long cascading cape that touched the floor. Her axe was raised high in the air as soldiers cheered with armored gauntlets striking the air above. The Emperor made her decree.

“By order of the Adrestian Emperor, Edelgard von Hresvelg. The Adrestian Empire hereby declares war on the Church of Seiros!”

And the revolution began with thunderous applause. The Black Eagle Strike Force swore their allegiance to the Emperor - with what they witnessed at the Holy Tomb, it was difficult not to side with her. On top of that, Edelgard struck a nerve within all of them when she spoke of her goals to tear down the crest system. For people to live free based on their own merits and not the desires of what nobility should be. The implications were monumental - women wouldn’t be used or forced to produce heirs, the prejudices of the nobility would cease to exist, and for people like Ingrid, she was free to choose how to live her life. 

And so she decided to stand with Edelgard, as close to her side as she was allowed. She still had questions - about the Flame Emperor, about Solon and Kronya, the pieces that didn’t quite fit. But war preparations demanded undivided attention. There were troops to be organized, strategies to be made, and that meant for long councils that carried late into the night. This particular one left Ingrid drained. The invasion of Garreg Mach. As she looked at the rolled out map, she wondered what her father would think of her choices. She wondered how Dimitri would feel knowing that his childhood friends have split paths with him. 

Ingrid turned her back on the bloody tradition of knighthood within the kingdom. She wanted to greet a new dawn, with the Emperor by her side. She supposed her blind loyalty wasn’t any different now, she didn’t have all the answers, but instead of chivalric rules holding her back, she decided to be bound to the matters of the heart. It didn’t mean Edelgard was off the hook for her antics but it would be enough for now.

The meeting was dismissed and everyone filed out, ready to retire for the night from yet another long day. 

“Ingrid, please stay for a moment,” Edelgard called out, softly from the opposite end of the table. Ingrid turned around slowly, meeting Edelgard’s gaze from across the room. The door closed, the last Eagle finally departed.

“Yes, Your Majesty?” 

“Please, Ingrid. It’s just us.”

“It hasn’t been just us for a long time now,” Ingrid said quietly, bitterly. Edelgard looked as though she were hurt, struck by the weight of her mistakes. Ingrid gave in, bowing from her waist with a hand over her heart. “Forgive me, Your Majesty. I didn’t mean to bring up the past. I must be tired.”

But Edelgard had full intentions to bring up the past - it was time to face it. 

“Are you happy with your decision?” Edelgard asked, stepping closer.

“My decision?” Ingrid parroted.

“To stay here. By my side. You have a habit of protecting me, to near foolish ends, I might add. You could still walk away from this. You aren’t obligated to stay when I ran away from you. I hoped that putting distance between us would protect you. And yet…” Edelgard reached out to grab her hand on a near instinct but clenched it back almost as quickly as it had come. Ingrid watched the Emperor’s shoulders sink. “You still chose me.” Edelgard bit her lip, averting her gaze to the window. “Why?”

Ingrid could feel her heart skipping across several beats. This side of Edelgard was the one only Ingrid was allowed and she wouldn’t squander it, she wouldn’t waste the opportunity. Edelgard was within reach and tradition be damned, she didn’t want to let her go. Like the night of the ball, Ingrid took Edelgard into her arms, a careful hand wrapped around the curve of her waist and this time, her other hand curved over her smooth cheek. Edelgard looked up at her in a mesmerized stupor. 

Ingrid hadn’t seen her this up close in what felt like ages. She was different but still, so, so beautiful. A thumb swiped over Edelgard’s cheek in a caress, taking her in to make up for those long days without her smile or her laugh. 

Ingrid took her chance and leaned down, fitting her lips against Edelgard’s own. What started as gentle became more desperate, like they had broken the surface of the ocean, greedily taking in one another as if they needed each other to breathe. Edelgard’s fingers were woven in her hair as she pulled Ingrid in, impossibly closer and deeper. Ingrid felt teeth graze her bottom lip and she felt herself groan from deep within her chest as she lifted Edelgard on top of the table, then stepped into her space between her legs. Edelgard’s hold on her only tightened, a soft moan escaping her lips as she let Ingrid control her - the knight felt a shiver down to her fingertips, slipping calloused fingers on the bare skin that peeked from Edelgard’s coat. The Emperor only arched into her touch, as if she too had been starved for Ingrid’s presence and touch. 

Heated emotions were boiling over, the two getting lost in one another, hands grasping at anything within reach. They would pull away for a breath, panting, before diving back in again, lips swollen and pink. Their minds were in a haze and it felt like a matter of hours before they separated. Ingrid caught her breath, her forehead against Edelgard’s, heavy breaths between them. 

The emotions were so blatant on the Emperor’s face, nowhere to hide the desire and the need she had for the knight. Ingrid couldn’t hold back her answer anymore.

“I love you, Edelgard,” she confessed, caressing her cheek once more. “I love you, with all that I am. No more running, no more hiding. Don’t think about what tomorrow will bring. If you love me too, please, let me stay with you.” 

That was all it took. Like a spear, Ingrid struck through Edelgard’s walls and watched them crumble before her eyes, leaving just an ordinary girl. A girl without her titles, without her burdens, without her regalia that weighed so heavily. A stray tear tracked down her face as Edelgard brushed Ingrid’s bangs aside and planted a featherlight kiss on her brow.

“Okay.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hello Edelgrid friends! I’ve been working on this story on and off for months and it’s finally done! What I thought was going to be a oneshot is going to turn into an entire short series - what is self control? 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed them as much as I loved them. I usually write Edeleth and from Edelgard’s point of view, so I really enjoyed this change of pace. Thank you so much for reading, any feedback and kudos is deeply appreciated!
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/EdelgardEisner) for updates! 
> 
> Be well and take care! <3


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